'Okuribito' (Departures) Japan
Actor: Masahiro Motoki



Born in 1965, Masahiro Motoki’s acting debut was in the 1981 television drama series, Ninen B Gumi Senpachi Sensei and his feature film debut came in 1989 with Hideo Gosha’s 226, for which he received Japanese Academy Prize for Newcomer of the Year. He starred in Masayuki Suo's Sumo Do, Sumo Don't for which he received the 1993 Japanese Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. Considered one of the leading actors in Japan, Motoki has worked alongside notable directors including Takashi Ishii in Gonin (1995), Takashi Miike in The Bird People of China (1998), Shinya Tsukamoto in Gemini (1999), and Masahiro Shinoda in Spy Sorge (2003). The original concept for Departures was developed by Motoki after he read a book based on the diaries of a man specialising in the ritual of encoffinment.

2009 INTERNATIONAL JURY STATEMENTS

“It’s a challenge for any actor to play a basically good person, sensitive and caring, without the result being bland or cliched.  This is Motoki’s achievement – in Departures he gives a quiet, totally credible performance with no extroverted pyrotechnics but rich in subtle detail and emotional honesty. He provides an understated but strong centre for a thoroughly engaging movie.”
– Andrew Pike





HIGH COMMENDATION for Performance by an Actor: Yang Ik-june in Breathless



After discharge from his military service, Yang Ik-june studied theatre and trained at the ‘Actor’s 21 Academy’ before delving into film production. In six short years he has starred in 30 short films and more than ten feature films. He won the Best Actor Award at the Mise-en-Scene Short Film Festival for 2005 short film Ooh, You Make Me Sick. In 2005 he directed his first short film, Always Behind You, which earned him the audience award at the Seoul Independent Short Film Festival. Breathless marks Yang Ik-june’s directorial feature debut, in which he also stars. Breathless was selected for the Pusan International Film Festival's Asian Cinema Fund which provided valuable post-production support. The film had its world premiere at the 2008 Pusan International Film Festival.